Duel Academy Chronicles
by Jarkota
Summary: Ron and the Middleton High gang go to Duel Academy, but Ron's usual problems plague him even there. Will he overcome them, or will he let the darkness consume him forever?
1. Chapter 1

_Duel Academy Chronicles_

by

Jarkota

Author's Note:

Wish me luck on my newest series. I've put _Pirates of the Alpha Quadrant_ (viewable under my name at ) and _The Impossibilities Series_ (again, under my name at ) on hold due to writer's block, so I came up with this to give me something else to focus on. Hope you enjoy it. (Oh, and I took the liberty of giving Monique a surname in this one; it always bugged me that she never had one.) As usual, I don't own any characters from _Kim Possible_ or _Yu-Gi-Oh!_ or any other copyrighted work herein; I'm just borrowing this stuff for a while. I freely admit that I haven't seen all of the _Yu-Gi-Oh! GX_ episodes and a good chunk of the ones I have seen I've watched out of chronological order, so I'm not really trying to make this 100 fit with continuity here. I'm taking what I do know and running with it, so this is an AU in more ways than one. As always, reviews are appreciated.

As the boat drew nearer to the island, Ron Stoppable was filled with both anticipation and dread. Sitting below the deck in the galley, he nervously wrung his hands as he had been doing for the last several weeks. He'd passed the tests, but only barely. His best friend, Kim Possible, sat next to him, trying to calm him down.

"It'll be fine, Ron. You've been playing this game all your life. If anyone can do this, you can."

"Yeah," Bonnie Rockwaller added from the bench across from him. "I mean, of any of us, you've got the most passion for this."

The blonde boy sighed. "Maybe I've got passion, but that doesn't make up for skill. I'm the lowest-ranked Duelist at Middleton High. The only reason my parents even let me come here in the first place was because my grades back home were worse then my Dueling abilities. Mom and Dad figured I'd never graduate and might at least make something of myself here." He sighed again.

"Don't be so hard on yourself, boy," Monique Simmons said. "Worse Duelists have come here and made careers; you'll be alright."

At that moment, Felix Renton pulled up in his motorized wheelchair. "She's right, you know. I've heard stories about guys like Jaden Yuki and Cyrus Truesdale. Those guys weren't any better than you, but the analysts are saying that both are future champions."

Ron leaned back in his seat and relaxed his hands. "Maybe you're right. I mean, yeah, I only qualified for the Slifer dorm, but we all more or less did. How Brick and Tara got to Ra Yellow I don't know, but at least I don't have to worry about wedgies every night."

Felix grinned. "And not only that, but you don't have to see Josh. Thanks to that junior academy he was going to, he got into Obelisk Blue, and by the time we make it there, he'll be long gone."

The mention of Josh Mankey got a scowl from Ron. Kim put her hand on his shoulder. "We all know you don't like Josh, Ron, but I just wish you'd tell me why."

Monique shook her head. "If it ain't obvious to you by now, girlfriend, you ain't gonna get it."

Just then, Ron heard something. His eyes going wide, he bolted out of his seat and headed for the door leading up to the main deck. "Oh, no!"

Kim stood. "What's wrong?"

Ron was already at the top of the stairs. "I know that voice anywhere! I thought I'd seen the last of her but..."

Ron was stricken with a case of _speechus interruptus_, however, when the door flew open to reveal a green-skinned, black-haired woman whose more-than-ample busom was barely contained by the tiny black-and-green tube top she wore. Her long, shapely legs were mostly revealed by a pair of way-too-short blue denim cutoffs and her feet were bare. "Darling! I've been looking for you everywhere! This is _far_ too big a ship to try to find someone in if you're in a hurry." She grabbed Ron into a bear hug, which, due to his being a little bit shorter than her and slightly lower than her on thie stairs, forced his head inbetween her breasts.

Ron fought to pull away. "Sh-Shego! What are _you_ doing here?"

"Isn't it obvious, silly? I'm going to the Academy with you!"

This panicked Ron even more. "But...but...your brothers...your Dueling team...!"

Shego grinned. "Team Go was getting pretty boring. My brothers could handle the challengers and it was more for show than anything anyway. I wanted something a little more real...and _you're_ as real as they get, lover."

Ron finally succeeded in pulling away. "I told you, I'm _not_ your lover! And anyway, you didn't answer my question! You're already a pro Duelist. Why did they let you into the Academy?"

"Dean Crowler thought having someone like me there would be good publicity for the school. Something about 'telling everyone that _every_ Duelist can still learn new things'."

Bonnie looked at Shego with a careful eye. She didn't outright hate Shego like Ron did Josh, but she still didn't trust the girl. "So, you're in the Blue dorm?"

Shego shook her head. "Nope! The only condition I laid down was that I be put wherever my Ronnie was." She stared lustfully into his eyes and her voice took on s sultry, seductive tone. "I'm rooming with you now, loverboy."

Ron bolted past her and ran out the door screaming. "He's so _cute_ when he plays hard-to-get!" she said as the took off after him.

It was another few hours before the ship was harbored at the island's southern dock, and Ron was starving. He'd completely missed dinner thanks to Shego's more-than-amorous and less-than-flattering attempts at seducing him and was hoping the Academy would serve refreshments at orientation. As he sat with Kim, Bonnie, Felix, Monique, and Shego in the area deisgnated for new Slifer Red students, he was relieved to find that Yellow and Blue had been given their own staging areas in another part of the building.

_Guess I should be thankful for small favors,_ he thought. Fortunately for Ron, Shego was on the opposite side of the group from him and had decided to actually pay attention to Chancellor Sheppard's welcoming speech. The chairs were placed so closely together that his shoulder was amost touching Kim's, and it was difficult for him to resist the urge to reach out and hold her hand.

He sighed inwardly. _All this time we've spent together and I still can't tell her. If only I could be sure that she doesn't care about Josh..._ His thoughts trailed off as he heard Sheppard open the floor for questions. His hand went up immediately.

"Mr. Chancellor, Sir, what are the rules involving being pestered and harassed by other students?"

Sheppard laughed. "I'm quite aware of your..._unique_ situation, Mr. Stoppable. Rest assured that if Miss Goh becomes a hindrance to your studies, you can go to any of our faculty members for help." Then he looked at Shego, still in her tube top and cutoff shorts, and said, "Though, if I were you, I'd _hardly_ consider this a _problem_," which got a laugh from everyone except Ron. "Now, are there any more questions?"

There were none. Sheppard dismissed them and said that there would be someone to show them to the Slifer dorm outside the building. The new students picked up their bags and headed for the door. Ron looked up at the immaculate decorations of the main hall's walls and ceiling before leaving and felt something slap against his backside. Whirling around, he found Shego standing immediately behind him. "Better get going, roomie," she said, heer sultry voice returning, "we want to have _plenty_ of time to get..._settled in_ once we get there." She crossed her arms under her breasts and lefted, making her chest seem even larger than usual.

Ron took off like a shot and bolted put the door, nearly bowling their guide over. "Hey there, soldier!" the large boy said. "Where's the fire?"

"Sorry; I'm just trying to get away from..._her_." Ron pointed back at Shego, who was standing at the door waving.

The yellow-clad student laughed. "Son, if I were you, I'd be runnin' in the _other_ direction." He extended his hand. "Name's Tyranno Hassleberry, but 'most everybody calls me Sarge."

Ron shook the boy's hand. "Pleased to meet you, Sarge. I'm Ron." He stole a quick glance to his right, which showed him that Shego was headed his way. "And now I'm running. 'Bye!"

Hassleberry took of after him. "Wait! You're going the wrong way! The dorm's _this_ way, soldier!"

Back at the doorway, Felix, Monique, and Bonnie were laughing so hard that they couldn't breathe. Kim just sighed and followed Shego. _At least if I stay with her I don't have any chance of not finding Ron. She seems to have a knack for knowing where he is._ Trying not to let her emotions get the better of her, Kim attempted to make it look as though she were looking at the buildings of the main campus as she walked, but, in reality, her mind was on Shego. _I've put up with her for this long, but now her brothers aren't around to reign her in. If she hurts him, all bets are _off!

Hassleberry eventually caught up with Ron and steered him in the direction of the Slifer dorm. The rest of the group arrived shortly after. Ron's silent hopes that Shego would get lost on the way were quickly dashed. A boy with spiky brown hair and a red jacket walked up and extended his hand.

"Hi. Name's Jaden. You must be Ron. You'll be sharing a room with me, Cyrus, and Sarge."

Ron returned the handshake, but was confused. "But I thought Hassleberry was in Ra Yellow?"

"He is, but he likes to stay here. Slifer Red welcomes everybody."

A short blue-haired boy in a dark blue uniform walked up. "I'm Cyrus Truesdale. I'm supposed to be in Obelisk Blue, but this place has been my home ever since I came to the Academy and I didn't want to leave."

Something clicked in Ron's brain. "Wait...are you related to...?"

Cyrus cut him off. "Yeah; Zane. He's my brother."

"Wicked." Ron introduced the rest of his group and it was not lost on any of them that he gave Shego the shortest and least-enthusiastic introduction. A blonde-haired girl named Alexis, whose uniform also marked her as an Obelisk student, showed Kim, Bonnie, Shego, and Monique to the girls' area of the dorm and a sour-faced boy dressed entirely in black showed Felix to third room.

Felix looked up at his roommate. "You must be Chazz. I've heard about your Dueling skill. Any chance we could square off sometime?"

The dark-haired boy scowled. "I don't Duel with amateurs, and if Slifer Red was the highest you could get admitted to, that's all you are to me until you prove otherwise. And just because we're the lowest-ranked dorm here doesn't mean we have it easy. Anybody who slacks off answers to _me_. But _maybe_, if you show some promise, I'll show _you_ how to Chazz It Up."

"No offense intended, but I don't really need help. I could be in Ra Yellow if I had wanted to."

"What do you mean?"

"I deliberately bombed the exam."

Chazz was shocked. "Why would you do _that_?"

"Ron. He needs me."

Chazz backed away a few steps. "Woah woah woah! Whatever you guys did before is fine, but that stops _now_, got it?"

Felix sighed. "It isn't like that, you idiot. Ron has confidence issues and he needs his friends around for support. We could have _all_ made it into Ra if we wanted to. Hell, they were going to put Shego in Obelisk Blue but she wouldn't come here unless she could be in Red."

Chazz's face softened a little. "You guys look out for each other, I guess."

The other boy nodded. "Yeah; we all care about one another." Their conversation was interrupted as Ron ran past them full-tilt with Shego in hot pursuit, a lustful grin on her face. "_Some_ more than others."

Since Ron and his friends arrived just a few days before the semester began, there wasn't much time to get settled in. The food at Slifer Red wasn't the best in the world, but Ron had eaten in a high school cafeteria and figured he could survive anything after that particular experience. Once the classes began, however, he had _much_ more to worry about than how fresh the fish was.

The weeks went by and, although his skills with his Monster cards had definitely improved, he wasn't able to grasp most of what they were teaching him about Spell and Trap cards. He had several of each in his Deck, of course, but he would either forget what he had on the field, not employ the cards at the right time to give him the best advantage, or get frustrated and refuse to use them at all, leaving them in his hand until he had to send one or more to the Graveyard for any reason.

The rest of the Slifer dorm did their best to coach and tutor him, but none of it was sticking. Ron would get to where he could effectively play a card combo, but then the very next day would fail to utilize it. Sometimes this was due to not remembering which cards went to which combo, but more often than not it was due to his penchant for wanting to go with brute force and raw power rather than cunning and strategy. He did well enough until his pwoerful monsters were taken out of action, and after that the rest of any Duel was a formality.

Over the next two months, it was clear to everyone that Ron's confidence was shot. He tried to put up a facade of normalcy, but it was clear to everyone in the building that he wasn't his old self. Kim watched him slowly disintigrate, feeling helpless. She had tried to help him with his Dueling, but she had had no more success than anyone else. She knew that if he couldn't improve by midterms then he could be transferred to one of the other four schools or expelled altogether, neither of which was an attractive possibility for Kim. She sat up late one night, long after Ron had went to sleep, talking with Jaden outside the dorm.

"I just don't know what to do," she said. "The only reason I came here was to be with him. I...I care about him, Jaden, more than I have the courage to tell him right now. I had a lot going for me back home - the cheer squad, excellent grades, a surefire college scholarship - but I gave it all up to come here with him. As long as he was happy, I would be. But if his dream ends before it can begin, it'll destroy him and I can't bear to see that."

Jaden looked up at the clear night sky. "I don't really know what to tell you, Kim. I mean, he loves the game as much as I do, and that was always enough for me. Maybe he just doesn't have the instinct for it. Some don't."

"There's more to it than that, I think. He's worried about something - something that's keeping him from putting his entire mind on what he's doing. But I can't put my finger on it."

Jaden stretched. "I'll see what I can do. If I can find out what's bugging him, I'll let you know."

"Thanks, Jaden. I appreciate it. And I know Ron will if we can help him." She went back inside to the room she shared with the other girls.

Jaden shook his head. His Winged Kuriboh Duel Spirit appeared next to him, chirping softly. "That girl just can't see it. Wouldn't do me any good to tell her, old friend; she'd never believe me. I don't think she'd believe anyone." With that, he, too, turned and entered the dorm.

A week later, the midterms were announced. Dean Crowler was in the main assembly hall, going over the format for the test.

"Midterms will be in two weeks. There will be no written exams for this; there will only be the practical applications test. Students will Duel one another and the matchups will be random. Winners will automatically pass the test and losers will be judged on overall Dueling technique and skill; those who do well enough will pass and those who do not will fail. As an added incentive, those who pass will be subject for promotion to another dorm."

Ron's heart sunk when he heard this. Not only was he certain he would fail, but he knew that Kim was a _lot_ better than he was and was sure to be accepted into Ra Yellow. _That's one step farther away from me and one closer to Mankey. I'm going to lose her._ He lay back on his bunk, Deck and Duel Disk all but forgotten on the table next to him. He knew he should be studying and practicing, but his heart just wasn't in it anymore. _If only I had something that would guarantee me the win; that way, even if Kim does get into the Yellow dorm, I'd have a chance of going with her._ He thought for a few more minutes, then pulled out his cel phone. Making sure no-one was watching, he sent off two e-mails and waited.

An hour passed and his answer came. His first, sent to Jim Possible, Kim's younger brother who had a designer's job at Industrial Illusions, could think of nothing that would help, but his twin brother Tim, who had landed a job as an engineer for KaibaCorp, knew of someone that could give Ron what he wanted, provided there weren't too many questions asked. Ron quickly agreed and had him set up the meeting.

Three days later, Ron approached the seldom-used eastern boat dock. The night was pitch-black and were it not for the pinpoint of light that came from his contact's lantern, he would have had zero clue if he was even in the right place.

When he reached the dock, he said, "I guerss you're the person I'm supposed to meet."

The stranger, who was dressed in a black cloak with his hood pulled back, replied, "You guess right."

"Who are you?"

"No-one of consequence. But I _do_ expect to be compensated for my time and effort. Your contact paid me most of my usual fee; he said you would cover the remaining ten percent."

Ron nodded and reached into his pocket, producing two fifty-dollar bills. The stranger pocketed them and reached into his small motorboat, producing two black cases and a key. He handed one to Ron. "We found these - among other things - deep underground. They hadn't been there long and we decided to recover them before someone else could. We couldn't find any buyers until now. It's not really our business _who_ has them, but just be careful. Our men tested these and not all of them survived." He pulled out the second case. "This is a secondary item we had in our collection; nothing overly special about it, but given what you and your friend are paying for these things, we thought we could give you a bonus. Both locks use the same key. Just don't let anyone catch you with these unless you have to; the more time my people have to cover our tracks in this matter, the better."

Ron nodded. "I understand. Thank you."

The stranger got back into his boat and put out his lantern. "No thanks necessary. It's my job. But any time you need more..._assistance_, the Rare Hunters will be _more_ than happy to help." With that, he started his boat and drove off into the night.

And that is the first chapter of my new series. I hope you'll enjoy this as a sort of "filler" until I can get my other series up and going again.


	2. Chapter 2

_Duel Academy Chronicles_

by

Jarkota

Author's Note:

Chapter two of I-don't-know-how-many. I gotta admit I cranked the first one out in about five hours; here's hoping I can keep going at this pace for a while. To those of you who reviewed the first installment, thank you; I hope to continue pleasing you with this.

Ron sat on the roof the the Slifer dorm, the two cases stacked beside him. He'd already looked inside and knew that he had gotten far more than his money's worth.The four items within would definitely secure his victory at the midterms, but he was starting to wonder if perhaps it was the right path to take.

"I need to win; there's no doubt about that. But this is almost like cheating. I wasn't expecting all of this. I just thought I'd be getting a few rare cards to power up my Deck. This is...well, overkill."

At that moment, Kim came up to the roof. She wore only a purple tank top and a matching pair of shorts. Her hair was down and it looked like she hadn't slept any that night.

_She's beautiful_, Ron noticed not for the first time in his life. "Hey, KP. What are you doing up here?" he asked, realizing it was too late to hide the cases and hoping she wouldn't see them.

"Well, I heard you leave earlier and was wondering where you went." She paused, then looked down. "What's in the cases?"  
_Damn. So much for that,_ Ron thought. "Nothing. Just...clothes." _Oh, that was lame. _Never_ go with the first excuse you think up._

"Clothes? You'e not leaving, are you?" Kim asked, sitting next to him. He tried hard not to look at her long, shapely legs.

"No...I mean, I don't know...I don't _think_ so..."

Kim put a hand on his shoulder. "Don't worry about midterms, Ron. We'll help you study and practice as much as we need to. And we can always go easy on you during the test."

This got the opposite response Kim was looking for. Ron's eyes narrowed and he pushed her hand away. "Is _that_ what you think of me? That I can only pass the test if you guys throw the matches?!"

Kim immediately looked regretful. "No, Ron; I didn't mean it that way. I..."  
Ron cut her off. "You what? 'You were only trying to help'? I've heard that a lot, KP. The teachers who wanted me held back a year because 'they were trying to help my academic record'. The doctors who wanted to medicate me for hyperactivity disorders because 'they were trying to help me concentrate in school'. _My own parents_ who were 'only trying to help' when they took me to a specialist to see if I was _mentally handicapped!!_" He stood and put his foot on top of the cases. "I'm _through_ with people trying to help me! I _will_ pass that test, and I'll do it _on my own_." Calming a little, he said, "Get out of here, Kim."

Wordlessly, Kim stood up and headed back for the door to the dorm. She looked back once, but she found his back turned to her. She went into the building and softly shut the door behind her.

Unbeknownst to her, there were twin rivers of tears flowing freely from Ron's eyes.

The next day, Ron was gone. No-one knew where he went or why. There was only a note saying that he would be back in time for the midterms and that Kim had helped him reach a decision. What, exactly, that meant was a mstery even to Kim, though a part of each of them knew that a change was coming.

Shego was hit the hardest by Ron's absence. She moped around the dorm most of the time and more often than not had to be dragged to her classes. She rarely spoke, hardly ate, and did absolutely nothing. Multiple attempts had been made to engage her in activities - Kim and Bonnie were even friendly to her, which is something neither had done before - but nothing had worked. She continued to sulk and things only got worse each day Ron was gone.

Then the midterms came.

Kim and Shego waited anxiously for him to appear. The Obelisk dorm had their tests first, followed by Ra, and finally Slifer. Nearly all of the students had by now taken their exams and there was no sight of Ron. Dean Crowler held a clipboard in his hands and checked off Bonnie and Monique as having completed their midterms.

"Alright; we're down to our final student; Ron Stoppable, please step forward." Silence followed. "Ron Stoppable, it is time to take your exam. Please come forward now." Still nothing. "Mr. Stoppable, if you do not come up here this instant, you will automatically fail the test!" Further silence. "Alright then, moving on."

Crowler was about to mark something on the clipboard when the doors to the exam hall flew open. All eyes gravitated to said doors. There, silhouetted in the light, was a long figure. As the mysterious person entered, the spectators could see that whoever it was was dressed almost completely in black. Boots, pants, shirt, trench coat and gloves capped off by a fedora hat pulled downward so as to hide the eyes; all uniform in color and shading. The coat was completely buttoned up, as though concealing something, and a dark blue circular device was attached to the left arm.

After a long moment, the figure began a slow, deliberate walk down to the main floor. He stopped directly in front of Crowler, not saying word.

Crowler was more than annoyed. "Excuse me, but I am _trying_ to conduct exams here. Unless you have urgent business, you will have to wait outside."

"Oh, I _do_ have urgent business." The voice was dark and menacing, but when the stranger pulled his hat up, the face was unmistakably that of Ron Stoppable. "I'm here to take my test."

"Hmph." Crowler replid. "I was about to fail you, Mr. Stoppable, but since you are here, I'll allow you to take the exam." He looked Ron's outfit over. "Although I _am_ going to make a note on your record about showing up with a Duel Disk. You'll have to borrow one from another student."

"Oh, no need for that." He held up his left arm. "I've got that little requirement covered."

"If you say so. Get on the platform and get ready. You'll be Dueling against Jaden Yuki."

"No."

"Excuse me?"

"I won't Duel Jaden." He looked through the crowd. "I want Mankey."

Crowler laughed. "_Surely_ you're not _serious_! Josh Mankey is one of the top-rated Duelists in this school! You wouldn't last five turns against him!"

"Maybe, maybe not. But I've got something to prove."

Crowler stopped laughing. "You _are_ serious. Well, there's no rule that says you _can't_ pick your opponent. Alright; Ron Stoppable versus Josh Mankey it is." Then, before walking away, he said, "It's your funeral."

Ron stepped up to the platform, followed shortly by Mankey, wearing a white high-vollared shirt under an open blue jacket with white trim. Josh chuckled as he put his Deck into his Duel Disk and activated the system. "I'm gonna grind you into the ground, Slifer Slacker."

"We'll see." Ron placed his own Deck into his Disk. One side flipped out ninety degrees from the main body and a large, curved blade extended backwards along his arm. The blade contained a total of ten card slots. Once it was fully extended, Felix gasped.

"What's wrong?" Bonnie asked.

"I've seen that kind of Duel Disk before." He pulled up an image on a screen built into his chair. "They were designed by a guy named Dartz, owner of the Doma Corporation. They're readically different from KaibaCorp models like the ones we use here at the Academy. I don't know where Ron got his hands on one, though; Doma went out of business years ago when Dartz disappeared."

On the platform, Ron was ready with five cards in his hand. "So, you wanna go first or do I?"

Mankey smirked. "By all means, take your turn. I wanna see what pathetic moves you open with."

Ron said nothing, but instead drew a card. "I play three cards face-down and summon a monster face-down in Defense mode to end my turn." The oversized holographic images appeared in front of him as he played his cards.

"I'm impressed," Mankey said. "I'd have thought a loser like you wouldn't even know how to _use_ a facedown card." He drew a card. "I'll play one card facedown, then I summon Vampire Lady in Attack mode and attack your facedown monster!" The vampiress appeared and dashed across the field towards Ron.

The blond just smirked and pressed a button on his Duel Disk. "Too bad, so sad. Reveal facedown monster - Giant Soldier of Stone!" The card flipped over and revealed the giant statue-like monster, kneeled in a defensive posture. "Its 2000 Defense points don't bode well for you, _Josh_."

Josh grimaced as his Vampire Lady destroyed herself and his Life Points dwindled from 4000 to 3650. "Not a bad move for an amateur. It looks like I might have to actually _work_ to kick your tail. I end my turn."

Ron drew another card and smirked. "I play another card face-down and summon another monster face-down in Defense mode. That's it for now."

"You seem confident for someone who hasn't even attacked yet." Josh drew. "I play Pot of Greed, draw two cards, and summon Gazelle, the King of Mythical Beasts in Attack mode to end my turn."

The Duel progressed slowly; two more turns went by with Ron only play face-down cards and no further monsters, while Josh kept filling his monster card zone. Finally, Ron summoned another monster in Defense mode.

Josh shook his head. "If this is the best you can do, Stoppable, then you don't have a chance of even passing the midterms, much less beating _me_." He drew, then smirked. "I play the Dark Hole Spell Card! It'll wipe out all of _my_ monsters, but as long as I get rid of that rock of yours, I'm not worried."

"You should be," Ron replied. "Reveal Trap - White Hole!" The Trap Card's hologram swung upward, revealing itself, and protecting Ron's monsters from Josh's card.

Mankey was furious. "You got lucky, Stoppable! That's all! Just _lucky_!" He was fuming now. Staring into his hand, he glared at the now-useless Monster Reborn card he'd planned to resurrect his Vampire Lady with once the Giant Solider was eliminated. "I end my turn for now, but I _will_ win this Duel!"

Ron drew, and then grinend sadistically. "I don't think so." He plucked the three monster cards from his field. "I sacrifice Giant Soldier of Stone, Man-Eater Bug, and Wall of Illusion to summon..." he laid a blue card depicting a very demonic-looking monster onto his Duel Disk, "..._OBELISK THE TORMENTOR!_"

A powerful gust of wind coursed through the arena, threatening to knock over anyone who was standing. A brilliant flash of light and a loud roar accompanied the appearance of the titanic beast which seemed as though it threatened to burst through the very roof of the building.

"_IMPOSSIBLE!_" Mankey yelled. "There's no _way_ you could get ahold of that card! It's got to be a fake!"

"Oh, it's no fake. I can assure you of that. Just as _this_ isn't fake." He opened his coat to reveal a pendant made of a large golden ring with five pointed cones hanging from the bottom edge and a triangle in the center bearing the symbol of an eye. The pendant was glowing softly, as if reacting to the presence of Ron's monster.

Kim freaked. She knew _exactly_ what was around his neck and also knew he should have no part of it. "Ron!" she called out to him. "Get rid of that thing! You don't know what it'll do to you!"

Ron grinned menacingly. "The Millennium Ring and I are just fine, Kim. I _told_ you I didn't need you to help me!"

Her words from that night and Ron's note sprung to her mind, and she buried her head in her hands as she realized that _she_ had pushed him to this. As she recalled the look on his face as they sat on the roof, she also realized that he had had those items in the cases and was contemplating on not using them. All she had done was anger him to the point where he had thrown caution to the wind and possibly put himself in danger. _It's my fault; anything that happens to him now is all my fault._

In the arena, Josh was trembling. He hadn't expected Ron to even put up a fight, much less have such an unstoppable beast in his arsenal. He was looking at the cards in his hand and what he had left on the field, trying to decide if he had anything to counter with when Ron made his next move.

"I could let this drag on, but I've grown bored with you, Mankey. You weren't _nearly_ the challenge I'd expect from an Obelisk Blue student." Ron smirked. "How ironic is it that I defeat you with the very monster your dorm is named after? Obelisk, wipe out his life points with Fist of Fury!"

The great beast pulled its arm back and let fly with a massive blow that sent an energy wave careening towards Josh. Helpless, the taller boy could do nothing but scream as the energy washed over him, draining his Life Points completely. Mankey dropped to his knees, defeated.

Ron returned all of his cards to his Deck and deactivated his Duel Disk, which returnd to its compact form. He stepped off the platform and walked up to Dean Crowler. "So, do I pass?"

"Y-yes. With flying colors. You'll definitely be considered for advancement to Ra Yellow. But...tell me: where did you get those items and that card?"

"Let's just say...I've got connections." Ron pulled the brim of his fedora back over his eyes and walked out.

Later that evening, everyone had returned to the Slifer dorm. Ron, however, was the only one by himself. He had moved his belongings out of the room he shared with Jaden, Cyrus and Hassleberry and had relocated to a small, unused storage room at the far end of the building. He gave no explanation and nobody asked for one. The general consensus was to leave him alone. They all acted as though it was just because he needed some time to himself, but in reality it was because of a simple fact.

They were afraid of him.

The Millennium Ring had ceased to glow, but it still exuded an aura of power that unsettled anyone who came near him. The situation was sufficiently troubling that Kim and Shego, in a rare moment, were talking civilly.

"I've never seen him like this. It has to be that Ring." Kim said. She was on what used to be Ron's bed, her knees drawn up to her chest and arms wrapped around her legs.

Shego sat next to her, still in her tube top and shorts, feet customarily bare. "I agree. I haven't known him as long as you, but this is _way_ out of character for him. I wonder what would have pushed him to do this?"

Kim related what had happened a few nights before, and she was sobbing by the time she finished. "I think he wasn't actually going to use them until I came along. I...I did what I always did. I made him feel inferior, so he thought he had to prove something. And now...now he's become something...something..."

"Dark? Twisted? Almost evil?"

Kim nodded. "It's like the Ron I knew is dead. Might be easier if he was."

Shego put a hand on Kim's shoulder. "I know what you mean. I know you think I'm overbearing sometimes, but I really do love him and it hurts me to see him like this."

Silence fell over them then. Kim and Shego each put an arm around the other without really thinking about it. Subconsciously, they both realized they had lost the same thing and needed the closeness. After a few minutes, Shego stood up and took Kim by the hand.

"Where are we going?" the redhead asked.  
"I think it might be a good idea to get away from the dorm for a while. We've got a couple of days until classes start again; let's do a little camping." She entered the room that the girls shared and and began filling her backpack with supplies. "We won't need much; not just for the two of us." It was as though they had been friends for years and the previous animosity never existed between them, and while this was not lost on the girls, they chose not to dwell on it for the time being. Kim picked up the pack with their supplies and Shego slung another bag containing a tent over her shoulder.

As they headed out the door, Kim put on her shoes and noticed that Shego, as usual, didn't even have a pair to bring with her. "I've been meaning to ask you...why no shoes?"

"I grew up in the desert. The sand was so hot you couldn't walk on it shoeless without burning your skin off, and as I grew up I became obsessed with going outside barefoot. Once my family moved to Middleton, I found that there were plenty of places to go without shoes and I did it as much as possible. I haven't worn a single pair of shoes in about eight years now." She paused then said "I guess that's also why I never wear much. In the desert, you have to cover yourself up completely or you get the worst sunburns you can imagine. Where I've got the freedom to wear less, I use it as much as I can."

"I never knew there was so much depth there. I always thought you dressed like that because you were...never mind."

"You can say it, Kim. I've had people accuse me of being worse than a slut."

"That's not what I was gonna say; I was just thinking it was because you were trying to seduce Ron."

"That was part of it, sure, but I can't deny how comfortable it is like this."

"I've just got one last question...what's with the green skin?"

Shego shrugged. "In all honesty, I don't know. Might be some kinda genetic thing. One of my brothers turned purple when he hit twelve, so it's not unique to me. But nobody's been able to figure it out."

They walked until they were about a mile away from the dorm. "This looks like a good spot; it's far enough away from any of the buildings that all we'll be able to see are the stars and all we can hear are the animals." They spent about an hour setting up the tent, laying out their sleeping bags, and preparing a small fire. As night fell, they ate a simple dinner of canned sausages and bread, then spent time talking; mostly about the one person who'd been on their minds for the past few days.

They shared memories of Ron from years past until it was well past midnight and the fire had burned down to coals, then decided to turn in. After they zipped up the tent, Kim stripped down to her pants and T-shirt, but no further. Shego, on the other hand, removed her clothing altogether and stretched out on her sleeping bag.

Kim was shocked. She'd never seen Shego sleep like that before. The raven-haired woman looked over grinned. "That's another little secret about me - I like to sleep _au naturale_ when I can. You really oughtta try it."

"I...I don't know. I've never...I mean, exceot for the showers back at school..."

"Never really been naked with another girl around?" Kim shook her head. "Well, I won't pressure you, but it really is more comfortable."

Kim looked at Shego for a long moment, then looked down at her own clothing, and made a decision before she could second-guess herself. She pulled her top off, revealing her B-cup breasts, then yanked off her pants.

Shego smiled. "No undies, I see."

Kim blushed. "One of _my_ little secrets." She laid down on her sleeping bag, which due to the small size of the tent was right next to Shego's. "This feels a little...wierd, but I think I could get used to it."

Shego againput ahand on Kim's shoulder. "You're feeling something, aren't you?" Kim nodded. "I am, too. Not sure what it means, though."

Kim put her own hand on top of Shego's. "I think...I think it means...for now, anyway, that we need each other."

"And what happens...happens?" Kim nodded again. "I like the way you think." She kissed Kim lightly on the lips.

"Shego...if Ron never returns to normal...each other might be all we have left."

"And if he _does_ return to normal?"

"We'd have to work something out...I don't really know right now...but, right here, right now...we need this. I can feel it."

"So can I, Princess. So can I." She kissed Kim once more, this time sliding her tongue past the redhead's lips.

And that's chapter two. Hope you enjoyed.


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